Johan Santana, baseball player, 2000-2012

Johan Santana

Born: 3/13/1979 in Tovar, Mérida, Venezuela

MLB Debut: 2000-04-03 | Final Game: 2012-08-17

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: Johan Alexander Santana

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Biography

Johan Santana, born in 1979, was a dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball from 2000 until his retirement in 2012. Renowned for his exceptional strikeout ability and effective changeup, Santana compiled a career record of 139-78 with an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.2. Over the course of his career, he struck out 1,988 batters and recorded one save, showcasing his versatility and skill on the mound. Santana was particularly noted for his ability to perform under pressure, which contributed to his reputation as one of the premier pitchers of his era. Santana's accolades included two Cy Young Awards and four All-Star selections, solidifying his status as one of the top pitchers in baseball during the early 2000s. He played a key role in the success of the Minnesota Twins, helping to lead the team to multiple playoff appearances. His career coincided with a heightened emphasis on pitching in an era marked by offensive prowess, and he consistently stood out with his remarkable ability to control games. Johan Santana's impact on the game and his contributions to baseball history remain significant, as he is remembered as one of the great left-handed pitchers of his generation.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
139 78 360 284 15 10 1 2025.7 1726 721 220 567 1988 3.20 0

Career ERA 3.20 vs. league average 4.36 across their career seasons — 26.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2000 MIN AL 2 3 30 5 0 0 0 86.0 102 62 54 64 6.49 4.77 (-36%) -1077.7
2001 MIN AL 1 0 15 4 0 0 0 43.7 50 23 16 28 4.74 4.42 (-7%) -485.5
2002 MIN AL 8 6 27 14 0 0 1 108.3 84 36 49 137 2.99 4.28 (+30%) 4487.0
2003 MIN AL 12 3 45 18 0 0 0 158.3 127 54 47 169 3.07 4.40 (+30%) 4740.3
2004 MIN AL 20 6 34 34 1 1 0 228.0 156 66 54 265 2.61 4.46 (+42%) 9205.3
2005 MIN AL 16 7 33 33 3 2 0 231.7 180 74 45 238 2.87 4.29 (+33%) 9073.6
2006 MIN AL 19 6 34 34 1 0 0 233.7 186 72 47 245 2.77 4.53 (+39%) 9104.7
2007 MIN AL 15 13 33 33 1 1 0 219.0 183 81 52 235 3.33 4.47 (+26%) 3739.6
2008 NYN NL 16 7 34 34 3 2 0 234.3 206 66 63 206 2.53 4.32 (+41%) 5012.4
2009 NYN NL 13 9 25 25 0 0 0 166.7 156 58 46 146 3.13 4.32 (+28%) 2304.2
2010 NYN NL 11 9 29 29 4 2 0 199.0 179 66 55 144 2.98 4.08 (+27%) 2814.5
2012 NYN NL 6 9 21 21 2 2 0 117.0 117 63 39 111 4.85 4.01 (-21%) -214.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
360 248 11 40 12 1 1 9 0 9 78 0.161 0.191 0.230 0.421 -1098.9

Career AVG .161 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 38.9% below league average.

Career OBP .191 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 42.7% below league average.

Career SLG .230 vs. league average .421 across their career seasons — 45.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.421 vs. league average 0.753 across their career seasons — 44.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2000 MIN AL 30 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2001 MIN AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2002 MIN AL 27 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
2003 MIN AL 45 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
2004 MIN AL 34 8 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0.375 — — — — 0.0
2005 MIN AL 33 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.167 — — — — 0.0
2006 MIN AL 34 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2007 MIN AL 33 7 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0.286 — — — — 0.0
2008 NYN NL 34 78 5 11 5 0 0 1 0 3 24 0.141 .263 (-47%) .333 (-48%) .416 (-51%) .749 (-50%) -688.1
2009 NYN NL 25 42 1 7 3 0 0 4 0 5 14 0.167 — — — — 0.0
2010 NYN NL 29 62 2 11 3 0 1 1 0 0 22 0.177 .257 (-31%) .325 (-45%) .402 (-32%) .728 (-38%) -410.8
2012 NYN NL 21 35 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0.086 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2006 ALDS2 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2004 ALDS2 MIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2003 ALDS1 MIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2002 ALCS MIN 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2002 ALDS2 MIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 3 11 5 0 34.0 35 15 10 32 3.97

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2006 ALDS2 MIN 0 1 1 1 0 8.0 5 2 1 8 2.25
2004 ALDS2 MIN 1 0 2 2 0 12.0 14 1 4 12 0.75
2003 ALDS1 MIN 0 1 2 2 0 7.7 9 6 3 6 7.04
2002 ALCS MIN 0 1 4 0 0 3.3 4 4 0 4 10.80
2002 ALDS2 MIN 0 0 2 0 0 3.0 3 2 2 2 6.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 360 283 98 232 19 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2000 MIN P 30 5 5 13 1 2
2001 MIN P 15 4 0 6 2 1
2002 MIN P 27 13 4 9 2 0
2003 MIN P 45 18 3 11 3 1
2004 MIN P 34 34 9 24 4 2
2005 MIN P 33 33 12 26 2 0
2006 MIN P 34 34 12 32 1 2
2007 MIN P 33 33 14 26 0 1
2008 NYN P 34 34 13 27 1 1
2009 NYN P 25 25 7 24 2 3
2010 NYN P 29 29 12 18 1 1
2012 NYN P 21 21 7 16 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 360

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2012 Player of the Week Week of 2012-06-03
2009 Pitcher of the Month April
2008 Pitcher of the Month September
2008 Player of the Week Week of 2008-08-16
2007 Gold Glove P
2007 Player of the Week Week of 2007-08-18
2006 Cy Young Award
2006 MLB Players Choice Outstanding Pitcher
2006 Pitcher of the Month June
2006 Pitcher of the Month September
2006 Pitching Triple Crown
2006 TSN Pitcher of the Year
2004 Cy Young Award
2004 MLB Players Choice Outstanding Pitcher
2004 Pitcher of the Month August
2004 Pitcher of the Month July
2004 Pitcher of the Month September
2004 Player of the Week Week of 2004-06-19
2004 Player of the Week Week of 2004-09-18
2004 This Year in Baseball Starter of the Year MLB.com GIBBY
2004 TSN All-Star P
2004 TSN Pitcher of the Year
2003 Pitcher of the Month August

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2012 NYN NL $23,145,011
2011 NYN NL $21,644,707
2010 NYN NL $20,144,707
2009 NYN NL $18,876,139
2008 NYN NL $16,984,216
2007 MIN AL $13,000,000
2006 MIN AL $8,750,000
2005 MIN AL $4,750,000
2004 MIN AL $1,600,000
2003 MIN AL $335,000
2001 MIN AL $212,500
2000 MIN AL $200,000
Total Career Earnings $129,642,280

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2008 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 55.0 160 4
2008 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 30.0 448 0
2007 Cy Young Award AL 5th 1.0 140 0
2006 Cy Young Award AL 1st 140.0 140 28
2006 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 114.0 392 1
2005 Cy Young Award AL 3rd 51.0 140 3
2004 Cy Young Award AL 1st 140.0 140 28
2004 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 117.0 392 0
2003 Cy Young Award AL 7th 1.0 140 0